Electronics
movement Restoring
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is one of the most debilitating diseases from which a person can suffer. The condition damages cells in the brain and spinal cord necessary for movement, and in doing so gradually robs those affected by it of their autonomy. There’s no cure for ALS, and very little in the way of support for those with the condition, which is why researchers at the Harvard Biodesign Lab wanted to come up with a technology that could restore lost function to their arms and improve their quality of life. Kim Thomas speaks to Conor Walsh and Tommaso Proietti to find out how the project evolved and the mechanics behind the device.
myotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND), a neurological condition that affects an individual’s motor neurons – the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control our ability to move our muscles. The disease gets worse over time: as the motor neurons degenerate, they stop sending messages to the muscles, which means the muscles twitch and waste away. In the later stages of the illness, it becomes impossible for the patient to control their muscles, so they cannot walk, eat or speak, and eventually require a ventilator to breathe. Typically, patients die within three-to-five years of diagnosis, though some live for longer – the late physicist Stephen Hawking being the most well-known example.
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In the US, about 30,000 people have the condition at any one time, while in the UK, the figure is about 5,000. While there is no cure for ALS, could there be a way of using mechanical means to help patients retain muscle movement? This is the question that Conor Walsh, professor of engineering and applied sciences at Harvard University, and founder of the Harvard Biodesign Lab, set out to answer.
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